There are some significant changes coming to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that will affect trademark filings beginning January 18, 2025. These changes include the introduction of the Trademark Center, new fees, and revised application requirements. Here is an overview of the key changes:

1. The End of TEAS and the Launch of Trademark Center

The USPTO will retire the TEAS system, which has been in use for over 20 years, and replace it with the new Trademark Center. This more efficient platform will streamline filing processes, improve user experience, and offer new features such as automatic saving of drafts.

• New Application Fee Structure and Increases

• The TEAS Plus filing option, previously priced at $250 per class, will be eliminated.
• All new filings will now start as Base Applications, with a fee of $350 per class.
• Additional fees may apply for:
  • $100 per class for failing to meet certain requirements.
  • $200 per class for not using the USPTO’s ID Manual to detail goods/services.
  • $200 for each additional 1,000 characters when the goods/services description exceeds the first 1,000.

Additionally, international filings under the Madrid Protocol will see an increase to $600 per class starting February 18, 2025.

• Implications for Trademark Attorneys and Clients

These changes will require careful planning and budgeting for trademark filings. We recommend:

• Reviewing and updating your filing strategy to avoid unnecessary fees.
• Gathering all necessary information upfront, including translations, domicile address details, and any consent required for marks identifying living individuals.

• Increase to Trademark Use and Maintenance Fees

While the application fee adjustments are the biggest story here, the USPTO has announced several other fees that will be increasing as well, including:

Navigating the Trademark Center: What the New System Means for Filers

The transition from TEAS to the Trademark Center is more than a cosmetic update. For practitioners and applicants who have used TEAS for years, the new platform introduces meaningful workflow changes that require adaptation — and for first-time filers, understanding the new system from the start will prevent costly mistakes.

Key Features of the Trademark Center

The Trademark Center consolidates what were previously multiple TEAS forms — TEAS Plus, TEAS Standard, responses to office actions, statements of use, renewal applications — into a single integrated platform. Notable features include:

• Automatic draft saving. Unlike TEAS, which required a single continuous session to complete a filing, the Trademark Center automatically saves draft applications. This reduces the risk of losing work due to session timeouts and allows multi-day preparation of complex applications.
• Integrated ID Manual search. The Trademark Center integrates the USPTO’s Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual directly into the application interface. Applicants who fail to use the ID Manual for their goods and services descriptions will now face an automatic $200 per class surcharge — a meaningful incentive to use pre-approved descriptions rather than custom language.
• Improved specimen upload interface. The Trademark Center includes an improved file upload system for specimens, with support for larger file sizes and multiple file formats. Given the increasing frequency of specimen refusals under TEAS, this improvement should reduce filing errors.

Strategic Implications of the New Fee Structure

The elimination of TEAS Plus and the shift to a Base Application fee of $350 per class (up from $250 per class for TEAS Plus) represents a 40% increase in the baseline filing cost for applicants who previously used the most cost-efficient option. Across a portfolio of trademark applications, this increase adds up quickly.

The new fee structure also changes the economics of multi-class applications. Under TEAS Plus, filing a single application covering five classes cost $1,250. Under the new structure, the same filing costs $1,750 — plus additional fees if goods and services descriptions require custom language ($200 per class) or if the description exceeds 1,000 characters ($200 per additional 1,000 characters). For applicants with broad trademark portfolios, working closely with trademark counsel to draft precise, ID Manual-compliant descriptions is now more financially significant than it was before.

Maintenance and Renewal Fee Increases: Portfolio Impact

The fee increases for maintenance and renewal filings are in some ways more significant than the application fee increases, because they apply to the entire existing portfolio of registered trademarks — not just new applications. Several fee changes deserve attention:

• The Section 8 declaration (required between years 5-6 and 9-10 of registration to affirm continued use) increased from $225 to $325 per class — a 44% increase.
• The Section 15 declaration (for incontestability status) increased from $200 to $250 per class.
• The Section 9 renewal application increased from $300 to $325 per class.
• The Petition to Revive an abandoned application increased from $150 to $250 — a 67% increase that makes avoiding abandonment significantly more important.

Organizations with large trademark portfolios should conduct a portfolio audit to confirm that all maintenance and renewal deadlines are calendared correctly and that the budget for USPTO fees has been updated to reflect the new amounts. Missing a Section 8 or Section 9 deadline by more than the grace period results in cancellation of the registration — a loss of valuable IP rights that is difficult or impossible to fully remedy.

Tips for Cost-Efficient Filing Under the New Structure

• Use ID Manual descriptions whenever possible. The $200 per class surcharge for non-ID Manual descriptions is avoidable with careful drafting. Work with counsel to map your goods and services to the closest available pre-approved descriptions before filing.
• Keep goods and services descriptions concise. The new character-based surcharge for descriptions exceeding 1,000 characters rewards precision. Overly broad descriptions that exceed the character limit now carry a direct financial penalty in addition to the increased risk of office actions.
• Confirm domicile information upfront. The USPTO has aggressively scrutinized applicant domicile information since 2019, requiring foreign applicants to retain U.S.-licensed attorneys. Ensuring that domicile information is accurate and complete before filing avoids unnecessary office actions and delays.
• File ITU applications early. Given the increased cost of revival petitions, avoiding abandonment of pending applications is more important than ever. Use the Trademark Center’s draft-saving capability to prepare applications carefully before submission.

Ready to navigate the new USPTO filing landscape? Contact the Trademark attorneys at Revision Legal or visit our trademark practice page to discuss your filing strategy.